Search for Audric (41 page)

"I know," frowned the prince, "but it is not something that I can use. Why do I have it?"

"You have it so that it may be used," Audric replied, "if not by you, then by others."

"By others?" echoed the prince. "I do not understand."

"Neither do I," admitted the old man. "I have heard tales of the Talent existing in one such as yourself, but the tales speak of those who lived in ancient times, and I have never put much faith in such stories."

"Then you can do nothing for me?" questioned the prince.

"Those are not the words that I uttered," replied Audric. "You must learn to listen."

"You said that you did not understand how it could be used," frowned Prince Antion. "What did I mishear?"

"Already knowing how something can be utilized," smiled Audric, "is not the same as discovering how it can be used. If you will commit to remain with me, together we will discover how the Talent inside you can be used."

"I will stay for as long as I can," promised Prince Antion, "but I cannot remain forever as Jared has promised. I have obligations that may tear me away from this place."

"What can be more important than discovering yourself?" asked Audric.

Prince Antion sighed heavily and thought about his answer.

"If one cannot tell the truth," warned Audric, "one is better to remain silent."

"I will tell you the truth," promise the prince, "but I do not know how much to say. There are many people depending on me to help them. As much as I want to discover why I have the Talent within me, my obligation to my people is more important than my own life."

"Your people?" questioned the sage.

"I am Prince Antion of Arin," the prince replied. "Should war come to my homeland, or should my father die, I must return to serve my people."

Audric stared at Prince Antion for several minutes without speaking. Finally, he nodded with acceptance.

"You are right to place the needs of others over yourself," Audric stated. "Perhaps that is why the Talent chose to inhabit your body. Together we will seek the answers to the riddle within you."

"Excellent," smiled Prince Antion. "I will tell the others to set up a permanent camp."

"There is no need for the others to remain," Audric shook his head. "Our path to knowledge will not be a short one."

"But they are sworn to see me through to the end," frowned the Arin prince.

"And so they have," replied the old man. "There can be no distractions in the coming months. They will have to leave."

"Leave?" echoed Prince Antion. "I cannot just dismiss my friends and tell them to leave."

"You must," insisted Audric. "Go and spend this night with them, but in the morning they must depart. The three of us are about to embark on a journey that bears no resemblance to the world you know. There is no room for those who can never understand it. Let them take your beasts away with them. You will have no need of them."

"I do not understand," frowned the prince. "How are we to journey without our horses?"

"We will not leave this cave," explained Audric. "The journey that I speak of will not be on a road made of stone or dirt. It is a journey into your inner self. There can be no passengers on such a journey, and there is no need for man or beast. Go and spend a night of farewells. In the morning we begin our explorations."

Prince Antion sat stunned for a moment, but he knew that he had no bargaining power over the old man. If he wanted to learn about the Talent within him, he would have to obey. The prince rose silently and walked out of the cave.

"Is he the right man?" asked Kenra.

"He is Audric," Prince Antion nodded solemnly. "Let us build a great bonfire on the shore. Tonight will be a night of celebration."

The Arin prince strode past his friends to the shore and removed the saddle from his horse. The others gathered around with concern.

"What is truly happening, Gunnar?" asked Horst. "You call for a celebration, yet your face tells me that you are distraught."

"There is no longer a need for false names," replied Prince Antion. "This is the end of the journey that I embarked upon. Each of you has sacrificed to see me safely here. You have left your homes and followed me on a dangerous path with great risk to your own lives, and I don't know how to thank you, but this is the end of the journey. Tomorrow you will all leave to return to your homes, but tonight I want to remember for the rest of my life. We will have a great celebration, a celebration of friendship, and of friends that know the true meaning of the word."

"Go home?" balked Monte. "You expect us to go home and leave you here? We will not desert you like that."

"You must," replied Prince Antion. "Audric has knowledge that I must have, and he demands that everyone leave except Jared and me."

"He will not allow us to remain out here and wait for you?" frowned Prince Derri.

"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "For you to wait for me is to show that I believe my quest for knowledge is a temporary inconvenience. He demands an unlimited commitment from me before he will agree to help me."

"Fine," scowled Prince Umal. "You can agree to send us away, but we can remain as free men. That will not harm your level of commitment."

"Audric would not agree with you, Umal," Prince Antion shook his head. "He knows that you follow me and will obey my orders. If you stay, he will take it as a lack of my commitment. You must leave. I beg of you to leave. I must understand what resides within me."

"How long will you remain here?" asked Prince Derri.

"Indefinite," shrugged Prince Antion. "I will leave if Arin goes to war or my father dies, but for no other reason."

"For some reason," scowled Prince Umal, "I find nothing to celebrate."

"I am sorry, Umal," apologized Prince Antion. "Please do not take this as a rebuke. I love you like a brother, but this is something that I must do. If I must spend the rest of my days inside that cave, I will do so. I cannot live with the Talent inside me and not know what it is for. Can you understand?"

"We understand," answered Prince Derri, "but our understanding brings us no joy. What will you do with your horses? You cannot just leave them outside the cave. They must be cared for and exercised."

"No," Prince Antion shook his head. "Umal will take them home to Odessia. Jared and I will have no need for them."

"Help me gather some wood, Monte," Talot said. "We can't have a great fire without something to burn."

"You were itching to go home, Prince Umal," Kerzi said softly. "Perhaps this is all for the best. Princes are not supposed to be off gallivanting around the world when war is coming. You both need to help your peoples prepare for what is coming."

"There is truth to Kerzi's words," agreed Prince Derri. "If the jewel merchant was correct in his observations, Borundan armies will be on the march before the year is out. We must help our people prepare to deal with the invasions."

"I suppose," sighed Prince Umal, "but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I will take your horses, Antion, but not to Odessia. I will leave them in Caxon. There is a breeder there that I trust. He will have instructions to give the horses up to any man who calls himself Gunnar. Should you and Jared need to leave, at least you won't have to walk all the way home."

"Caxon?" frowned Kerzi. "That is a week away with my wagon. They cannot walk that far."

"It is the closest city," shrugged Prince Umal. "I can do no better."

"Caxon will be fine," smiled Prince Antion. "I do not expect that I will be needing them. What will you do Kerzi?"

"I think I will start carrying weapons between Kyland and Anatar," answered the merchant. "At least I can help out that way. I will ask Talot and Monte if they will stay on as my warriors. I've grown rather used to them."

“And they have grown fond of you,” smiled Prince Antion.

Prince Antion turned and walked away, leaving his friends behind as he strode towards the edge of the water. His companions knew the young prince well enough to allow him some time of privacy, but within the hour a great fire burst into brilliance. Prince Antion turned towards the fire and his face broke into a broad grin as he spied his fellow travelers around the fire. He hurried towards them, and they looked up with puzzled expressions as they noticed his broad grin. Prince Antion halted before the fire and glanced at each member of his team before speaking.

“I know many of you are seeing this conclusion of our journey in a disappointing way,” the prince began, “but you are wrong to do so. Think for a moment what we have accomplished. There are but a few of us, but we have beaten the forces of evil at every turn. We have saved my father from the clutches of an evil king, and we have found the one man in the world who can help Jared and me understand the Talent. We have beaten off attack after attack, and yet we all stand whole before this fire. We have done the impossible, my friends, but our tasks are not yet over.”

Prince Antion smiled as he saw his friends begin to nod.

“Jared and I will learn what the Talent is and what it requires of us,” he continued, “but all of you have tasks to complete as well. War is coming to the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, and each of you has a part to play in preparing for those dark days ahead of us. This may well be the last time we gather together to acknowledge the friendships that have joined us together, so let us enjoy this evening as we have enjoyed no other. Let this not be a time of parting sorrow, but rather a joyous occasion that will never be forgotten!”

“A celebration of victory!” Prince Derrick said loudly as he raised his fist into the air.

“A testament to the power of brotherhood!” Prince Umal agreed  “We will stand united no matter how much distance separates us from one another.”

THE END